Irony
by Sanauria Maldhun
Summary: As Tsuna looked at Reborn's twelve year old self, he realized how much of an irony this situation actually was. Time-travel. Post-manga.
1. Chapter 1

**Katekyo Hitman Reborn, the awesome manga I can't find myself ever getting tired of reading, belongs solely to its creator which is, sadly, not me.**

**This fanfiction is held after the manga—meaning, the Arcobalenos are de-cursed and Tsuna's awesomeness knows no bounds. Okay, the first part is solely based on how Reborn's and Tsuna's relationship changes over the years. I hope you guys enjoy! This is going to be R27 friendship since I **_**really **_**like the Tutor-Student relationship the both of them have.**

**Summary: ****As Tsuna looked at Reborn's twelve year old self, he realized how much of an irony this situation actually was. Time travel. Post-manga.**

* * *

><p>When he was fourteen, nearing High School, it happened again.<p>

His second kill.

(Or was it his third? Did Daemon count, since he was _supposed _to have died four hundred years ago? Tsuna hoped it didn't).

The sun had been setting. Gokudera and Yamamoto hadn't been with him since the former had some errands to do and the latter was back at school, practicing for his upcoming tournament. Tsuna had been walking back from school, I-Pin in his arms, wondering about something or the other, when a man had grabbed him by his arm, slammed him against the wall of an alley, pressing a gun to his temple.

"Good day, Decimo," the man greeted him with a lecherous grin, grabbing I-Pin as the child had tried to struggle, slamming her small form onto the wall opposite.

Tsuna couldn't see the man's face since it was covered, but that didn't matter, because I-Pin was there, body still, blood trailing down from where her head had hit the wall, injured, and the man's gun was now pointed at her_, and oh God she's still a kid—_

Tsuna burned the his face, pushed the screaming man against the wall, and, with dexterity he had no idea he had, grabbed the gun, pulled the trigger—

When he returned home, pale and shaken, blood not belonging to his own body soaking his shirt, Reborn gave him one, curt glance, asked Bianchi to extract an unconscious I-Pin from the brunette's arms, before steering the fourteen year old towards the bathroom.

Reborn's voice was oddly soothing, "Feel lucky that Maman, Fuuta and the cow are out. Take a bath and clean yourself and tell me where the body is."

Tsuna flinched at the mention of 'body', but obliged to both of Reborn's orders. Reborn left to talk to Bianchi about something; probably to remove the body since, when Tsuna emerged, Bianchi was nowhere to be seen.

Reborn handed him a mug of hot chocolate which Tsuna dazedly took, placing it on the table distractedly. He didn't dare to take a gulp of it yet, not wanting to vomit it out and have Reborn coming for his head for disrespecting him.

"You do realize that you will have to kill again, don't you?" Reborn asked quietly.

Tsuna exhaled out, brows bunching together, staring up at the ceiling. Yes, he knew that, _of course _he knew that. He knew he'd have to take lives again and again; hell, he already _had _when he had just turned fourteen, flung into an apocalyptic future with no way out.

"Yeah, I know," he mumbled.

Reborn looked at him, nodded, and then glanced at the cup of hot chocolate. Reborn was telling him to drink it, Tsuna knew, so he sipped it, finding the sweetness inexplicably soothing. He took another sip. Something about the situation in general was very wrong and frighteningly worrying. Surreal, in a way. Here he was, drinking hot chocolate, when he had just _killed _someone a little over ten minutes ago.

Something twisted in his stomach.

"He… the man… he had I-Pin at gun point and I…" he took in a deep breath and spoke, "He would have killed I-Pin."

It might have sounded like he was trying to justify himself, but he wasn't. _His _family was in danger, and that's what mattered. He didn't regret killing the man, so there was no need of a justification.

Reborn understood that and Tsuna was glad for it.

* * *

><p>At the age of fifteen, Tsuna became the youngest person to ever take up the mantle to become the Vongola leader; the youngest Boss of any Famiglia in the underworld.<p>

Because that was what Reborn had wanted, and it was a known fact that whatever Reborn wanted, Reborn always got.

It was kind of depressing, really.

What was _more_ depressing, however, was the fact that he was the Neo Vongola Primo. He was _actually _the Neo Vongola Primo, and he had never had the option to turn down that fucking title. So he cried.

It wasn't the sort of sobbing he recalled himself doing quite often before—the sort of sobbing where his expression would morph into terror and the thoughts of '_I don't want to do this, why the hell do I have to do this, this is Reborn't fault, hiiiii!' _would run through his head.

He cried because he regretted.

He regretted getting the others involved into this mess—this _mess _which was supposed to be solely his. This mess where only death of others meant survival, this utter and complete _pandemonium _that would never leave his friends, _his family_, the people he would happily give his life _to __**protect. **_The people who meant the world to him and some more.

Reborn stayed with him that night, slept on the bed that apparently 'belonged' to Tsuna now that he had officially taken over the Vongola, his still-infant-like-but-slightly-taller body lying warmly beside Tsuna's. The hitman did not say anything, did not call him pathetic for soaking the pillow with salty water; just listened to Tsuna's unspoken words, a tiny hand lying lightly on Tsuna's head.

It was all Tsuna needed, really.

He could start being the Neo Vongola Primo tomorrow.

* * *

><p>The Ninth had agreed to allow Tsuna to stay in Namimori, despite the brunette officially having taken over the title of the Leader of Vongola.<p>

"You're still in High School, Tsunayoshi-kun," Nono had said, "I want you to live a normal life for a few years."

Nono said 'normal', but, fact was, his life could never _be _normal. Over the course of four months, he had already assassinated five more, and Tsuna, feeling quite sick, realized that he was getting disturbingly used to this.

Still, Tsuna was hell bent on changing the Vongola—and the mafia along with it. The day after his 'pitiful and really pathetic crying' (Reborn's words), Tsuna had sucked it up, braced himself, and worked day and night, travelling to Italy and back again over and _over _again, to do just that. Change the Vongola or destroy it—such was the fate of the world's largest and most influential Criminal Empire.

Paperwork, numerous cups of coffee, followed by Reborn's always required help and his friends' support had Tsuna changing the Vongola for better—within the next two years, a few months before Tsuna turned eighteen, the Vongola resembled a part Mafia and a part law enforcement syndicate, much stronger and much more influential than what it had been previously, with a serious leaning towards vigilantism.

Reborn was immensely proud—Tsuna could see it in the ten year old whenever the hitman looked at him (making Tsuna resist the urge to give a dopey grin)—but never mentioned it, and Tsuna was oddly alright with that.

At the age of eighteen, still residing in the town of Namimori, Tsuna languidly climbed down the stairs after only two hours of sleep. He had been completing paperwork to the point of exhaustion last night and most of the morning, away from the watchful eyes of Reborn who had, after coming to the realization that Tsuna regularly pulled up all-nighters to make Vongola a better Empire, threatened him to _go to sleep, or else…_

Really, the situation was so different from what it used to be previously that it made Tsuna laugh.

Anyway, as he entered the kitchen, placed a good morning kiss on his mother's forehead, his eyes fell on Reborn.

There was nothing out of the ordinary with the hitman—the fedora wearing tutor, now resembling a thirteen year old, was reading a newspaper like he always did. But something was _odd_—something about Reborn made Tsuna remember a man he had seen at the age of fourteen, tall with dark eyes and an even darker smile, wearing a _black _suite, a fedora perched on his head, brandishing a gun, saying the words _come die in an instant _and—

Oh.

_Ohhhh._

Reborn looked up, raised an eyebrow at Tsuna's incredulous expression and smirked, "Took you long enough, Dame-Tsuna."

Tsuna shut his mouth and gave a genuine smile, "Thanks for the help, Reborn."

Reborn's smirk widened, "Don't get used to it."

Tsuna laughed.

* * *

><p>"Hey Reborn, why do you use a gun?"<p>

Reborn looked at him, "Is that really a question you're asking me _now?_"

"The Italian Police is dubbing this particular mission as 'impossible', Reborn and both of us know that that shouldn't really worry us. I'm just curious."

"The gun was the first weapon I used. That's it."

"You were taught?"

"Obviously."

"Who was your tutor? How did you meet him? Is he still alive?"

"What is this, twenty questions?"

"…No. Curious."

"Curiosity kills the cat, Dame-Tsuna. You should know that."

"Wow, you're such a hypocrite, Reborn."

"Too mouthy, aren't you? We'll have to rectify that in your next training session which will take place in the next twenty minutes. Be prepared."

Tsuna rolled his eyes and yelped when Rebon sent a book flying towards him, "You're digressing."

"Don't want to tell you, that doesn't matter, and I don't know."

"What was he or she like?"

"He was a good teacher," Reborn shrugged, and Tsuna noticed the lightly faraway look in the ex-Arcobaleno's eyes, "But he disappeared one day."

"Just like that?"

Reborn nodded in confirmation, and looked at Tsuna. And continued looking.

Tsuna shifted under the other's gaze, "What?"

"…Nothing," Reborn said slowly, worrying Tsuna about the Sun user's mental health.

Before he could have voiced his worry, a light clattering noise—that of keys falling— came from outside of the room they were currently residing in. Somebody cursed, and Tsuna could see the thin, slanted shadow spilling into the hotel room, readying himself. To his side, Reborn held a far less subtle AK-47 as compared to Tsuna's .45.

The door opened, and the cards fell into place.

* * *

><p>"You are getting far too cocky, Dame-Tsuna."<p>

"Well, you're still a minor. Only seventeen," Tsuna shot back, trying to smother an amused smile.

Reborn had tried having champagne again, only to have the glass snatched from his hands by one Nana Sawada who had, after giving Reborn a disappointed stare, had non-verbally threatened to hit him with a frying pan. Reborn's expression had been that of hidden terror at the woman's wrath; Tsuna hadn't stopped laughing since.

Reborn hit the twenty two year old with a paper weight plucked from the brunette's table when Tsuna's laughter showed no signs of ever disappearing.

* * *

><p>There was fire all around him.<p>

And his Aramani suit had coffee all over it.

_Armani. Suit._

"Shit, Reborn's going to _kill _me," he cursed, staring, with no little amount of horror, at the brown stain on his suit.

Giving a sigh of despair, he mentally made a note to brace himself for the future scandalized looks he would definitely get from anyone who cared (which was everyone in his family, frankly speaking, with the exception of Tsuna; why and how the hell they were so interested in branded clothes was still a mystery—and would always remain as that—to Tsuna). Kyoko, Haru, Hana and Lambo would be after his head, and Gokudera would stare at him wide-eyed, refusing to say anything lest it insulted Tsuna in some manner or form—this was infinitely worse, Tsuna felt. And Bianchi.

God, _Bianchi. _She'd feed him poison.

He stared at the stain despondently, heaving out yet another sigh. The heat wasn't bothering him as much as it would have surely bothered a normal human being, which was a definite plus.

A half empty cup in one hand, the Neo Vongola Primo looked around appraisingly. He was in a warehouse of some sort, he could tell, frowning lightly.

The main question was:

"How did I get here?"

Reborn could be involved—for all he knew, the ex-Arcobaleno was probably trying to kill him with fire. In case _that_ wouldend up working, the hitman would probably be laughing his ass off at the irony of the whole situation. Nonetheless, Tsuna was pretty sure that he had, after dodging over-protective Guardians, rushed to the nearest café in hopes of buying a cup of coffee. Judging by the stain blooming over his suit and the cup of warm liquid clasped in his hand, it was obvious that he had succeeded in that endeavor.

He stared at the deep, brown liquid, chugged it down in one go and tossed the cup into the fire.

"Nothing's better than a good cup of coffee," Tsuna said loudly, relieved.

And then he heard something.

A soft, muffled groan he would have missed if it weren't for his Hyper Awareness that came with having Primo's blood running through his veins.

He looked around, eyes searcing rapidly, and the groan resounded again. He pinpointed the general location of the sound, wasting no time to dash over to the place, unconsciously freezing the flames which tried to lick his skin.

Where he was and how he had gotten here didn't matter; if someone was trapped here with no way out, he needed to save said someone. He paused when he found a wiggling body, bound and gagged, in the corner of the warehouse, surrounded by fire.

"Are you alright?" he asked rhetorically, knowing that the question was redundant—the ten year old kid was burnt, not too badly, but burnt nonetheless.

But then the kid _looked_ at him, eyes dark like an abyss locking with soft brown ones; Tsuna's breath hitched, eyes widening. He knew the eyes, knew the face, _had seen it every day for the past nine years. _

These eyes, however, held no recognition. But Tsuna didn't care; he _knew _who the kid was.

_Reborn._

* * *

><p><strong>So, what do you think? I will, of course, continue with this fic depending on what you guys say about it, so please leave a review on your way out! <strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**I must say, I was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of positive responses the first chapter created, and I am glad to know that everybody is so enthusiastic!**

**IMPORTANT. ISH:**

**Something I should probably mention to you guys from beforehand: as mentioned by the creator of KHR, Reborn's real name is ****_Renato Sinclair_****_._ He will be called that only in Tsuna's third person's POV. To others and 12 year old Reborn, he is Renato.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Tsuna had gone through some weird shit in his life, so this one did not really take the cake.<p>

His mind worked quickly and simply:

_Get the kid and get out of here._

He dashed forward, covering his hands with the familiar mittens, flexing his fingers lightly when they turned into red gloves. Reborn was surprised by his speed, Tsuna knew, and something about that felt a teeny bit weird.

'_This means', _he decided as he slung Reborn over his right shoulder, feet leaving the ground, '_that this isn't the Reborn I know.'_

Besides, it was physically impossible for _any _living creature to bound and gag Reborn. At least the Reborn he knew, at any rate.

'_The Ten-Year-Bazooka?' _Tsuna questioned himself, bracing his body as the roof caved in and gave away. Swiftly weaving through the chunks of roof materials that came hurling in his direction, he emerged outside seconds later. '_Seems unlikely,' _he concluded, twisting mid air to glance at the burning building, _'But __Reborn's not the type to allow the Bazooka to hit him. That, and the one who suddenly found himself __**here **__is me.'_

He headed towards the ground just as he felt the person on his shoulder wriggling in what Tsuna concluded as fear.

'_Of course, I am not even sure whether this is Reborn.'_

That was officially the stupidest statement he had ever thought, Tsuna realized. Every instinct in him was telling him that this kid _was _Reborn and it had become somewhat mentally impossible for Tsuna to _not _recognize Reborn. He knew for a fact that he was capable of recognizing Reborn (and the rest of his family, frankly) even without touching, hearing or seeing the other.

'_I'm in the past then,' _he concluded with a tired sigh. Honestly, he was far too used to time-travel mishaps to be even a bit worried.

Landing softly on his feet, he felt the body on his shoulder squirming, almost violently. He placed Reborn on the floor so that they were facing each other. Reborn's eyes were wide with fear yet defiant, struggling wildly against restraints, _daring _Tsuna to do something Tsuna was sure he'd prefer dying before executing.

Bristling in anger at the sight of blood caking the boy's forehead (a blunt object had hit him there, Tsuna's mind immediately supplied), bruises littering whatever parts Tsuna's eyes could see and the slightly burnt skin, Tsuna swiftly eased open the cloth placed in between the boy's teeth.

Coughs racked the small body and Tsuna immediately started petting his back. Black eyes turned to him, wariness and suppressed fury shining through.

"Why did you help me?" he spat out.

"You were about to turn into a pile of ash; why do you think?"

The boy's eyes widened momentarily, and then he let out a bitter laugh. Tsuna held back a frown; as far as Tsuna could discern, Reborn or no, children weren't _supposed _to sound so… bitter. Angry. Acrimonious.

Tsuna hated it.

"You're not from around here, are you?" Reborn asked, in between the laughs.

"No, I'm not," was Tsuna's simple reply, stepping behind Reborn to unravel the knot tying his wrists together securely. He pursed his lips when Reborn's shoulders tensed, laughter dying, no doubt uncomfortable with not having Tsuna in his peripheral vision. Gently, he pried, "What's your name?"

"You're really not from here, are you?" the boy whispered, flexing his fingers once his wrists were freed, "I'm Renato."

Tsuna had known that 'Reborn' wasn't Reborn's real name. He had never asked the man—the Reborn from his time—about it, either; it had never come up, truth to be told. It wasn't because Reborn did not trust Tsuna or anything as utterly absurd as that, but simply that there was no _reason _to reveal his real name to the Decimo.

Hands coming down to work on the bound legs, Tsuna asked, "No last name?"

Reborn bristled as he spat out, becoming indignant, "No I don't have one."

Tsuna had a vague idea about Reborn's past, told by the hitman himself, so he did not pry. He digressed, "What's today's date?"

"Tenth."

"Of?"

"April."

"Year?"

A bewildered gaze, "…Nineteen-seventy-six."

Tsuna bit back a small sigh, revolving the date in his head twice. God, why the hell was this so expected?

He stepped back, having finished untying Reborn's legs. Reborn swiveled around almost immediately, training a cautious eye on Tsuna, form tensed. Tsuna took in Reborn's face, smaller and much more child-like than the nineteen year old back in his time. This Reborn looked similar yet so different than the Reborn he had spent the past nine years of his life with. The ten year self of _his _Reborn had softer eyes for one, the face more… _accepting_, someone who had _enjoyed, _had _lived. _Had laughed and cried, someone who was in _peace._

"Are you alright?" Tsuna asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," Reborn bit out, flinching when Tsuna's hand reached forward. Staring distrustfully at the extended limb, Reborn stepped back cautiously.

"Of course you're not," Tsuna said mildly.

Apart from the fact that Tsuna was literally a living, breathing, Lie Detector, Reborn's ragged, almost choked, breathing was a very big giveaway.

"… You can fly," Reborn started.

"I can fly," Tsuna confirmed distractedly.

Reborn opened his mouth to speak, closed it, opened it yet again, tried to breathe; Tsuna swiftly caught Reborn's limp body before it could hit the ground.

* * *

><p>When he stirred back to consciousness, the first thing he saw was the sky.<p>

Vast and beautiful and so, so _blue_, that all he wanted was to melt with it or soar up and be _free _of restrictions and chains. Trees partially hid his vision of the sky; he was in a forest, then. Or an area with a lot of trees. Didn't matter. The ground was pleasantly soft, grass prickling his bare back.

…Bare back…?

He sat up immediately, gazing around wildly. Hissing when pain shot up his sore rib, he heard someone saying:

"Oh, you're awake."

Renato's head whipped towards the direction of the voice, peripheral vision landing on the man who had saved him from the burning warehouse. He was leaning casually against a tree, staring brightly at Reborn.

"How're you feeling?" The man asked.

Renato ignored him, struggling up to his feet, body heavy with fatigue.

"Woah, calm down, _sit down!_" the man suggested immediately, suddenly _there _in _half a second _when he had been at a distance of _fifty metres away from_ _him. _He caught Renato by the base of his back before he could fall back in surprise. Firm hands clasped his shoulders, gently pushing him down, yet using enough force to make sure that he would _remain _sitting.

Renato grunted, bristling. Savior of his the man may be, Renato preferred the man to keep his orders to himself.

"Leave me," he ordered curtly.

There was a short pause from the stranger, the palms still stuck to his shoulder. Slowly, as if contemplating, the man finally extracted them and informed him, voice light, "I treated your wounds. It will sting for a while, though."

Renato nodded distractedly, searching for his shirt. He did not need to look up to know that the man's eyes were roving over his body, taking in the various bruises littered there. At least the visible bruises, since the rest were covered securely with gauze.

"Who did that?" the man's voice was deceptively light, calm and insouciant, and if it weren't for how he was being used rage and anger, Renato would have almost missed the venom in the other's voice.

"Where is my shirt?" he asked, ignoring the man's unneeded question, resisting the urge to shrink into himself.

"Who did that?" the man pried again, his voice soft rather than light or calm; Renato did not want to figure out why.

"Why the hell should I tell you?" he demanded, trying to mask his discomfort. It was a futile effort, he knew—the man was easily seeing through him. "We don't even know each other!"

"You can call me Tsuna," Tsuna recited and Renato blinked.

Well… that had been unexpected.

"And you are Renato—that's enough of an introduction, isn't it?"

"Of course it's not. Are you an idiot?" Renato shot back.

There, he had said it. Hopefully, the man would become angry at him for insulting someone elder, and leave him _alone. _Adults were like that—they hated being insulted, but had no qualms about insulting children.

Unexpectedly, however, the man _laughed. _It was amused laughter, mixed with some… knowledge of sort, and it did everything to make Renato's annoyance level rise up. Renato scowled contemptuously at him, insulted. Oh, the irony.

"You don't know anything about me!" he yelled angrily, "Now give me my shirt!"

"I have it," Tsuna said simply, "But it hardly resembles a shirt now, y'know? It's a bit burnt and soaked with blood…" the man's voice trailed off, lips pursing and eyes narrowing as they took in the bruises yet again.

Renato tried not to squirm; the man looked angry now, plain _furious, _the rage shimmering underneath brown eyes. Renato was thankful that the anger wasn't directed towards his existence; he had had enough of it to last the week, anyway. The man's eyes rose to meet his, and Renato stared right back, defiant, refusing to back down, to look away. It took him a moment to realize that the man did not _want _him to back down, did not _expect _him to back down.

It felt… odd, truth to be told.

Tsuna broke the eye contact, looked to his right and sighed.

"What's your age?" he asked.

"How does it matter?"

The brunette shrugged, "It doesn't. Just asking."

"…Twelve. Now where's my shirt?"

The man's eyebrows rose up in surprise, "Twelve?" he asked almost incredulously, "You look ten!"

"Yes, I'm short, I know." Renato hissed out, "Now give. Me. My. Shirt!"

Tsuna paused, stared at him calculatingly again before producing the white material seemingly out of nowhere and draping it over Renato form. Renato tensed at the man's propinquity, slipping his hands through the sleeves only when the man had taken two steps back.

"So…" the stranger who called himself 'Tsuna' started, "where do you live?"

* * *

><p>Renato largely ignored the glances of derision and contempt that people flashed at him, their recognition of his existence in their gazes largely evident.<p>

He could run if he wanted to, but he was exhausted. Breathing was a bit of a problem, but surprisingly less difficult than what he had imagined it to be. He used his legs quickly, walking fast, keeping mostly to the sides, away from the civilians. His fingers twitched in barely concealed annoyance as he glanced behind him, scowling at the brunette his eyes were coming in contact with after every fifteen seconds.

"Why are you following me?!" Renato yelled, irate, feigning ignorance to the disapproving glances people shot at him.

Tsuna shrugged, "What makes you think I am following you?"

"Because you _are _following me!"

"Of course I am not. You think I am, but, in fact, that's not the case."

"Stop being near me, then!" Renato snapped back, increasing his pace.

Tsuna raised a brow, "I don't think I am anywhere near you, Renato. I have been maintaining a distance of about ten feet from you, and ten feet's pretty huge."

Renato spun around and glared. Tsuna stopped in his tracks, retraced two steps, paused, measured the distance and took half a step forward. Renato, much to his irritation, realized that there _was _a distance of ten feet in between them.

It didn't help that Tsuna had been easily keeping up with Renato's jogging speed for the past forty five minutes, despite walking pretty languidly.

"Leave me alone," Renato hissed.

"I haven't really said anything, you know, even though I know that you've been walking in circles."

"That just shows that you _have _been following me," Renato said triumphantly.

Tsuna grinned, "Touché."

Despite having lost the argument with a twelve year old, Tsuna hardly looked perturbed or irate. Just lightly amused.

It grated on Renato nerves.

"Why the hell are you following me?!"

"I can be pretty persuasive."

Renato sneered, the expression on his face unbefitting of a twelve year old, "What do you _want?_"

Tsuna looked at him contemplatively again, gaze sharp, eyes all knowing. Renato resisted the urge to squirm, swallowing thickly, feeling himself perspiring. He stood rooted to the ground, however, too stubborn to admit defeat.

Tsuna's lips tilted upwards, just a little at one corner. The man sighed, shaking his head lightly, "I'm just waiting."

"For _what?_"

Tsuan did not reply.

"Fine!" Renato bellowed, "No need to tell me but _leave me alone!_" He did not wait to see the other's response. Quickly, he melded himself into the crowd, allowing the sea of people to flow past him, blending in fluidly with them. He closed his eyes for a moment, opened them, felt himself being pushed.

He moved with the crowd; one face in a million. The man could never find him.

* * *

><p>He rang the bell, letting his arm fall once the task was done.<p>

He chanced a glance around him once again, making sure to look at every corner, every turn, whatever bit his eyes were capable of scanning at this point. He breathed out in relief—the stranger was nowhere to be seen.

'_I've lost him,' _Renato thought, glad, _'Good.'_

He rang the bell again, twice this time. Shifting uncomfortably, he worried his lower lip for a while, grimacing at the sight of his burnt and blood stained shirt.

"Renato!" he heard his mother greet him worriedly once the door had clicked open, "Where _were _you, I was so _worried—_"

Renato grimaced yet again. If there was another thing he hated, it was making his mother worry. Really, she had enough in her plate already without having to worry about a son incapable of taking care of himself.

"I'm back, mum," he said softly, entering the little apartment. It wasn't what he'd call comfortable or _homey _as such—nothing about this place was homey; dark and damp, cold and so goddamn _disgusting._

His mother felt the same, too, he knew. That was why he wanted to leave, get his mother out of here.

"Oh my God, Renato, is that _blood_—"

"I tripped," he lied.

"And your shirt's _burnt—_"

"There was fire," he said simply, "Honestly, mum, it's nothing to worry about."

She pursed her lips, eyes sad, understanding yet not quite. She looked ready to cry, but Renato would not tell her. He _would not._ She did not need the truth. She had asked him once—more than once, in fact—but Renato had been pretty stubborn. Besides, it wasn't that she could do anything about it, anyway.

Renato gazed at his mother worriedly. Once a stunningly beautiful lady, stress lines were engraved in her face, laughter lines all but gone. Her hair was still beautiful—dark rivulets weaving down from her head, reaching past her shoulders. Her eyes were the most beautiful, though—bright green and lively, despite everything they had been forced to see.

She smiled at him, warm and welcoming, and Renato could feel the whole day's stress easing from his shoulders.

"Take a bath, Renato," she whispered, "I'll make food—pasta, since I know you like it!"

"Thanks, mum," he whispered back, genuinely grateful as she came forward and placed a soft kiss on his head.

Lukewarm water was used for his bath. He had rolled open the gauze which had been wounded around him by the man—Tsuna—around his body, only to find most of the raw injuries all but gone. Not even a scar had been left in their place.

The bruises he had received the day before yesterday, however, were still present.

He emerged from the bathroom fifteen minutes later, dry toweling his hair. He had donned on a shirt and shorts, grimacing again at the lack of something else to cover the bruises with. He sat on the chair of the dining table just as the bell rang.

"I'll open it!" his mother called.

He heard the familiar sound of the door being clicked open.

"Yes?" his mother asked.

"Hello," a new voice filtered through, and Renato stiffened. He _knew _that voice.

He sprung up from the chair instantly, dashing up to the door.

"What are you _doing _here?!" Renato demanded savagely, "How did you find me?!"

Tsuna grinned and shrugged, "I'm a very stubborn person, Renato."

"Get _out!_"

"Renato…" he heard his mother call from beside him, "Do you know him?"

Her voice was tinged with fear, face pale. A stranger. This man was a stranger. They had never had good experiences with strangers.

"I don't know—"

"I am Tsuna," Tsuna greeted with a small smile directed towards his mother. He placed his hand in front of her, and smiled warmly, eyes so _genuine _and _warm, _so accepting that it almost looked surreal, "It's nice to meet you Mrs…?"

Renato watched incredulously as his mother's cheeks colored at the smile sent to her. Tsuna was still smiling, bright and so _happy_, eyes soft as he waited patiently for her to take his hand.

She did, a smile gracing her face, "Fulvia. Please, call me that."

Tsuna grinned, genuinely happy, "Fulvia it is, then."

Renato wasn't sure what happened next. One moment they were by the door, and the next his mother was inviting a complete stranger with a disarming smile in, asking him whether he wanted pasta. The man's response was a positive, and then Renato found himself facing the stranger in the dining table.

"What are you doing here?!" Renato whispered furiously.

"Your mom invited me here," Tsuna said simply.

"You could have said '_no_'," Renato pointed out.

"Declining would have been rude. You know that. Besides, I wanted to see you again."

Renato gave him a wholly unconvinced look, "_Why?"_

"Because I am waiting," Tsuna replied simply.

"_For what?"_

Tsuna shrugged.

Renato glared. He couldn't trust this man.

This was going to be a _long _day.

* * *

><p><strong>Because now Tsuna has to do the following bit!<strong>

**Please do tell me your thoughts!**


	3. Chapter 3

**You guys are amazing. The reviews made my heart melt. Love you guys!**

**Again, in anybody else's POV apart from Tsuna's, Reborn is 'Renato'. Oh, and Reborn's mom is an OC. She's not what I would call important, but, yes, she has a few roles to play.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Reborn's dark eyes stared at him with no little amount of contempt and suspicion; apart from the fact that it worried Tsuna<em>, <em>he found it plain _hilarious._

Tsuna made it a point to not tell Reborn that, though, swallowing the pasta appreciatively, much to Fulvia's satisfaction. He glanced at Reborn, and so did Fulvia. The woman lightly admonished the twelve year old, telling him to stop dilly dallying and to eat properly.

"I am, mum," Reborn murmured softly, eyes still not leaving Tsuna. Tsuna grinned back, amused, and the twelve year old's grip around the fork tightened in obvious irritation.

A part of Tsuna _did _realize that instigating Reborn in any form or manner for his own amusement was not particularly healthy for the twelve-year-old and Tsuna half heartedly vowed to himself that he would stop. After a few days.

"What's your age?" Fulvia asked conversationally.

"Twenty two," Tsuna replied.

"So young! You work, I take it."

Tsuna nodded, swallowing, before replying, "A businessman," he lied.

Tsuna heard Reborn snort softly from beside Fulvia, and sent a small, playful grin at the twelve year old. Tsuna was hardly surprised when Reborn did not reciprocate the grin in any manner or form, face twisting in annoyance at the obvious cheer he had received from a stranger.

The rest of the evening passed by with idle chatter; questions were asked by Fulvia, and answers were told by Tsuna with as much honesty as he could tell them with, without revealing too much. He did not tell them about the Vongola for obvious reasons—even though the chances of normal people knowing about such a huge and bloody Criminal Empire were slim, Tsuna was still against revealing too much. For their sake, not his.

As they finished with the food, Fulvia stood up, taking her plate along with her.

"I will wash them, then. You can sit on the sofa with Renato to accompany you," she suggested, moving to take Tsuna's plate.

Tsuna stopped her by placing a light hand on her upper arm, "I'll help," he offered, getting up fluidly, "It's the least I can do after receiving so much hospitality."

"Oh no, it's alright, I can—" she tried protesting, only to be cut off at the blinding smile Tsuna unknowingly sent her.

"I insist."

Reluctantly, she let go of his plate, waiting for Tsuna till he picked it up. He followed her to the kitchen, vaguely noticing Reborn trailing after them with an unfinished plate, eyes still trained on Tsuna's existence. The twelve year old stayed standing by the kitchen door, body leaning against the door frame.

"Renato doesn't like me," Tsuna stated, watching from the corner of his eyes as Reborn tensed, dark eyes darting from Tsuna to Fulvia.

'_Doesn't want to disappoint her, then,' _Tsuna concluded, understanding. Before meeting the two-year old version of Reborn, Tsuna's situation had been pretty much the same; disappointing Nana had been (still was, truth to be told) something he had never wanted to do—the only difference being that Tsuna had been far too pathetic for his own liking.

Fulvia glanced at Tsuna, then back at Reborn, who was staring at her worriedly, evidently not wanting her to be disappointed. He relaxed the moment Fulvia laughed, though, an indication that she was alright with Reborn's feelings towards the brunette.

"It's alright," she told him, "He'll get used to you. He just doesn't like strangers."

"Neither do you," Tsuna whispered softly, his words inaudible.

He hummed as a response, instead, rinsing Fulvia's plate and then handing it to the woman. While she busied herself with drying it, Tsuna washed his own plate, pretending to ignore how Reborn watched every move he made. Intentionally, Tsuna casually moved closer to Fulvia while handing her the plate, sharp eyes trained on Reborn.

Reborn's reaction was immediate: his shoulders tensed, jaws gnashed up in order to prevent himself from doing something Tsuna had a feeling was probably illegal; his body, however, remained unmoving.

Being over protective towards one's mother was okay, yes, but the hostility was not something Tsuna wanted to see in a twelve year old, Reborn or no.

Once they had finished with the plates, and Fulvia had set them away, she turned to Reborn, "Finish it up quickly, Renato," she said, "I will have to wash it, you know."

"Yes, mum," Reborn replied, sounding dejected, and Tsuna failed to hold back a snicker.

Reborn glared and Fulvia glanced at him questioningly.

Tsuna waved his hand dismissively, replying, "Sorry, I just remembered something."

"And what might that be?" Fulvia asked politely.

Tsuna thought for a while before replying, "Well, I know someone. He's a lot like Renato."

Fulvia raised a brow, walking up to Reborn to take the still unfinished plate from him. When Reborn refused, hunching protectively over his plate, Fulvia simply took the fork out of his hand, twirled it around the pasta and said:

"Open your mouth, Renato."

Reborn reddened at that, peeking cautiously at Tsuna. It was obvious that he wanted Tsuna to leave _right now_, but Tsuna refused to budge. Reborn tried protesting, "I can eat on my own, mum!"

"Renato," Fulvia smiled in fond exasperation.

Reborn tried giving a half hearted glare but eventually parted his mouth when Fulvia looked meaningfully at him. Fulvia's smile widened as she fed him, and Tsuna had to look away from the duo to hide a smile of his own.

* * *

><p>"I don't like him," was the first thing Renato said the moment his mother shut the door behind her after waving Tsuna goodbye.<p>

"Why?" she asked, perplexed.

Renato's reply was immediate, "Because he is annoying."

His mother gave him a contemplating look, lightly amused, "What did he do to you?"

"He was _following _me, mum. I was telling him to go away, but he wouldn't _budge!_" Renato complained.

"I like him," Fulvia mentioned, smiling, "He's a nice person."

Renato bristled, gritting his teeth. _This _was one of the many reasons why he did not like Tsuna; the effect the stranger had on his mother was downright infuriating. Their past, _her _past, had made her wary of strangers, had made her conscious of everything people said or did.

People. None had good experiences with them either, not in _this _Hell-hole of a place, that is.

"I don't think he is nice," Renato mentioned.

"You don't think anyone's nice, Renato," she pointed out.

"You should know why," he reminded.

Instantly regretting his words the moment his mother lost the smile she had on her face, the brightness in her eyes dimming, Renato suddenly wished for the floor to swallow him up whole. He looked at the floor guiltily, feeling his ears turning red.

"I'm sorry mum, I didn't mean—" he tried, swallowing thickly.

She shut her eyes and shook her head, "It's my fault, Renato," she whispered, "I know."

He wanted to tell her otherwise, wanted to _beg _her to _stop _saying that over and over again like that, but he knew that her belief in that little stupid of a lie would never waver. It was a sudden, inexplicable but minute need, but Renato wished for Tsuna to be with them. The man had made his mother laugh despite having met her for less than a few minutes—Renato had been trying that for over ten years, succeeding in that endeavor yet not quite.

But, then again, that was also one of the reasons why he did not like the man.

* * *

><p>Tsuna left the house, sighing a little to himself.<p>

Whatever doubt he had had about Renato being Reborn had vanished the moment he had heard the name 'Fulvia'; the Reborn from his time had told him that his mother's name was Fulvia. His Reborn was never particularly tight lipped when talking of his past, but he usually didn't say much, either. Sometimes Tsuna wondered why, and the few times he had brought up the topic, Reborn had simply shrugged in a it's-not-really-important manner, and Tsuna had always left it at that.

"_I don't like him."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because he is annoying."_

Tsuna shook his head and smiled. Well, this Reborn was certainly amusing to irritate.

He looked at the streets, and then around the building which housed the apartment, making sure that there were no prying eyes as he slipped the mittens on yet again. He leaned against the railing, letting his body fall, soaring up gracefully, pulling himself from the ground the moment he was inches away from it. He grinned to himself. No matter how many times he did this, flying was something he knew he would be incapable of ever forsaking.

Seeing that it was still evening, the sun barely peeking out from the horizon, Tsuna decided to fly around a little, get himself used to the outline of the city he was currently at. People were still milling about in the streets, their clothes bright and colorful—Tsuna wasn't surprised at the sudden display of colors, given that he had read almost everything about Italy's history, including its fashion. But he had to admit, the clothes hurt his eyes.

Shops were open, Tsuna observed, reminding himself to buy something for breakfast—provided that, of course, he did not return back to his own time by tomorrow.

A few hours later had Tsuna ensconcing himself comfortably on a tree branch. The sky was dark—the reason for which the city was lighted currently.

"Like dots," Tsuna mused, appreciating the beauty of the expanse around him.

* * *

><p>If anything, Renato <em>really <em>hadn't expected to bump into Tsuna _here _of all places.

His reaction was immediate: he stepped back, glared and snarled, "_What _are you doing here?"

Tsuna gave him a largely confused, innocent look. If Renato hadn't known that Tsuna was apparently 'waiting' for something and had stalker-like tendencies, he would have believed that their second meeting was coincidental.

"What," he snarled again, voice rising involuntarily, "_are you doing here?!_"

The volume of his voice had the civilians staring at him disapprovingly. His mother tensed at their gazes like she always did, and though that reaction would have usually made Renato glare at the people who were staring at his mother like _that_, for once, he was too preoccupied with the man in front of him.

"Renato stop that—"

"Tell _him _to stop following us!"

It was then that Fulvia took notice of Tsuna. And when she did, her face broke into a large smile, evidently pleased to see Tsuna again.

Reborn couldn't quite squash the jealousy he felt.

"Fulvia!" Tsuna exclaimed, "What a coincidence!"

Renato snorted. _'Yeah, right.'_

This time, though, Renato glared at the people who were giving _Tsuna _odd looks at speaking exuberantly with Fulvia. He wasn't sure whether Tsuna noticed that, but he was genuinely thankful when the brunette began walking instead of standing at one spot and rambling on.

"Hello," Fulvia greeted. She paused, adding, "You have a few leaves stuck to your hair."

Renato looked at the ridiculous mass of gravity-defying hair, grimacing at how messed up it was.

(He largely ignored the fact that, despite the pathetic condition of the man's hair, he hardly looked untidy.)

"I'm sorry," Tsuna murmured, ruffled, hastily trying to pluck the leaves from his hair, "I was sleeping on a tree and—"

"You were sleeping on a _tree?"_ Renato interrupted.

"A branch, more specifically," Tsuna corrected, ruffling his hair, "Are the leaves gone now?"

Fulvia nodded, giggling, "Why a tree?"

"Nature lover," Tsuna said simply, grinning, "Besides, due to a certain _someone _I have been, frankly, spending more time in the forest wrestling bears or pythons than spending precious moments of my life in my home."

"That must have been fun," Fulvia said.

Tsuna nodded, "It was—still is, actually, as much as I hate to admit it. My tutor is _insane._"

"You wrestle with bears." Renato deadpanned.

"Yep."

"And pythons."

"Yes."

"You're a liar, and also a pathetic one if I may say so."

Fulvia's gaze was admonishing, slightly panicked. She started apologizing on Renato's behalf immediately, "I am so sorry, of course he did not mean anything by that—"

Much to Renato's and Fulvia's surprise, Tsuna simply waved his hand dismissively, smiling genuinely, "It's alright."

It was a simple act, but it made Renato blink. Tsuna wasn't masking his annoyance, like most adults did whenever Renato tended to be overly… straightforward. By the look on his mother's face, she had realized the same thing, too, and Renato shifted, uncomfortable. He, like his mother, wasn't used to such honesty.

"So, then, what are you guys buying?" Tsuna digressed.

"Um," Fulvia started, "We're thinking of buying some vegetables and…"

Renato looked at the empty bag he had been holding for the past half an hour in one hand, and then at his mother. Today was one of the unlucky days, apparently. Most of the other shops were out of stock, since this was the later part of the morning. His mother always insisted on shopping late. Though she never said it out loudly, it was obvious that the stares bothered her more than she admitted they did.

Renato wasn't sure what the empty bag meant to Tsuna apart from the fact that they had to scout for vegetables a little longer, but for some reason he looked angry, rage shimmering under his eyes. When he caught Renato looking up at him in confusion, his face brightened almost immediately.

"Y'know what? I have bought some things recently," he mentioned, pointing at the bag he was holding in one hand, stuffed with vegetables and fruits and possibly some meat, "and, I want to thank you for yesterday. Why don't I cook something up for you guys, hm?"

"We don't want your food," Renato snapped instinctively, "Why can't you stop bothering us?"

Fulvia gave him a quick admonishing stare. Turning to Tsuna, she declined politely, "It's alright, Tsuna—"

"I insist," Tsuna pressed gently, "After everything, I'd feel bad for not returning the favor. And I have been known for my culinary skills, so, don't worry, I won't feed you charcoal."

Renato gaped incredulously as his mother caved, yet again, at the million dollar smile Tsuna gave her.

* * *

><p><strong>I have to admit, making Reborn all flustered is <strong>_**very **_**enjoyable.**

**And a belated Merry Christmas and an advanced Happy New Year to all!**

**Please leave a review on your way out!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you so much for your reviews! I feel so immensely happy!:D**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Before he had decided to confine himself into the kitchen, Tsuna and his mother had chatted the whole way back to their apartment, and had continued doing so till one in the afternoon. Tsuna had tried to drag Renato into their conversation too, with enthusiasm that rivaled a five-year-old high on sugar, asking him questions, telling him stuff Renato had tried his best to ignore, asking him questions <em>yet again<em> and generally grating on his nerves. Renato had glared.

Over and over again.

Of course, that hadn't really stopped Tsuna in any manner or form.

No matter how much Renato had glared and snapped back rude remarks in form of answers, the man had simply… well, smiled and looked thoroughly amused and mind bogglingly delighted; Renato had wondered how boring the man's life had been since, apparently, he got kicks from tormenting and irritating twelve year olds.

"Sicilian chicken breast with zucchini," Tsuna said grandly, arriving from the kitchen with a flourish, placing the self-made food on the table.

Renato tried to ignore the wonderful smell. He also tried to ignore how his mouth began watering just at the sight of the food.

"Told you I won't feed you guys charcoal," Tsuna reminded, grinning, as he, feigning a gentleman Renato was sure he was not, started serving them.

"Well, dig in," Tsuna said as he took a seat beside_ Renato._

Renato shifted away from Tsuna. Tsuna shifted closer, seemingly casually, eyes crinkling with delight. Renato shifted further away, and Tsuna dutifully followed till Renato was at the corner of the table; any further, and he would be hanging precariously from the table.

Renato glared and Tsuna simply raised a brow, feigning innocence.

"Oh my, this is _wonderful!"_ Fulvia exclaimed, swallowing.

Renato did not need to look at her twice to know that she had said that not due to some adult obligation to prevent herself from looking rude.

"Thank you. I might've undercooked it a little, though. I've not cooked for a pretty long time," Tsuna said modestly.

"Of course not! This is perfect. Did someone teach you how to cook?"

"Yep. Four people, actually, including my mother. The other three are friends of mine."

His mother's eyes caught his. She looked at him. Tsuna paused and looked at him, too. It took Renato a moment to realize that they were waiting for him to put the stuff on the plate into his mouth. He had to hide a grimace. But then his mother _continued _looking at him like that, expectant and eager, like she always did whenever something excited her, and Renato was sure that he would feel like an asshole if he _did _try to be an asshole.

Tentatively he scooped up a morsel and bit onto it.

It was the most wonderful thing he had ever had.

His expression must have been a dead giveaway, because when he chanced a glance at Tsuna, the man was evidently trying to suppress a snicker.

He swallowed slowly and said, "It's okay."

Fulvia frowned lightly at the lack of a better response, but was soon dragged into a conversation by Tsuna.

Again.

Tsuna refused to leave even after lunch. Renato hinted to the other that he _might _just kick Tsuna out, but either the man was too dense to take a hint or he was doing it purposefully. Renato had a feeling that it was the latter more than the former, bawling his fists.

Tsuna ended up making desserts for them after lunch. And then he ended up making dinner, too, with his mother, all the while talking and still inquiring about Renato's personal life.

"You go to school, right?"

"Well, duh, genius."

"Which school?"

"Won't tell you because I am sure that you will stalk me."

"What's your favourite colour?"

"How does it matter to you?"

"You read books?"

"I won't reply to that because, apparently, you're blind and can't see what I am doing right now."

"How was the dessert?"

"Sweet. Will you stop bothering me now?"

And so on and so forth.

Of course, Tsuna did _not _stop bothering him. Of course he didn't, which was why when Tsuna _finally _left, Renato was more than a bit tired.

"I'm a bit disappointed in you, Renato," his mother scolded him lightly, "Tsuna was being so nice to you."

"But, mum, he was _bothering—_"

"He was being _polite_, Renato," Fulvia corrected, "He is elder to you; you should be more polite to him."

Renato bristled, not because he was angry at her, but because of how _Renato _was suddenly the evil guy. It wasn't _fair_.

"He was _smiling_," Renato pointed out, not mentioning how much the smile freaked him out.

Fulvia breathed out, "Just be nice to him, okay, Renato?" she asked gently, sounding a bit desperate, "For my sake, please?"

_For my sake._

Renato looked into his mother's eyes and thought. He understood why she was being so desperate. She just wanted to have a friend, someone she could talk to, someone she could share her thoughts with, someone who was an _adult_. Even though Tsuna was perhaps fifteen years younger than her, he seemed so _accepting_; it was ridiculous. But still.

He had known Tsuna for only two days, and the man's persistence was downright _frustrating._

But Renato had always been horrible at lying, so he shook his head, as a manner of a reply.

* * *

><p>The second meeting hadn't been the end, apparently.<p>

He appeared the next day, claiming that he had 'accidentally' taken a spoon belonging to them while leaving, and that he wanted to return it back. He returned it back to them, with a sheepish apology, and then proceeded to leave, only to be stopped by Fulvia:

"Since you are already here, why don't you stay for a while?"

Tsuna protested, eyes genuine, insisting that he did not want to keep them or bother them.

"No, no!" Fulvia seemed almost aghast at Tsuna's thought, "You are definitely not a bother to us! You can stay for a while. I insist."

'A while' became an hour. Then two. And then thirteen.

By the end, Renato wanted to hit his head repeatedly against the wall.

After that, Tsuna's presence in their apartment became nothing out of the ordinary. He talked a lot, told them tales which almost sounded like something out of a book; if it weren't for how he allowed Fulvia to speak most of the time, Renato would have started suspecting that the man's narcissism knew no bounds, and that he simply enjoyed listening to his own voice.

He started cooking for them, too, creating lavish dishes with ease and expertise. He also took it into himself to teach Fulvia how to cook up more dishes with the simplest of ingredients, and by the end of week two, his mother and Tsuna had started cooking side by side, the former's eyes brighter than Renato had ever seen them to be, and the latter's smile ever present, a—Renato felt—misleadingly polite expression.

He annoyed Renato still, though; the way he had just appeared out if nowhere and captured his mother's attention as if it was no big deal irritated him. The way he _still _tended to question Renato about his life, smirking lightly whenever Renato never took it upon himself to resist the need to snarl.

He was so goddamn _persistent_.

"He's so talented!" Fulvia exclaimed on the ninth day since Tsuna had wormed his way into their lives, "And he knows so many languages, too!"

Renato had a mild feeling that she was bragging the way a mother tends to brag about her child, and a part of Renato was ashamed to admit that jealousy was what he was feeling currently. Granted, the man was ten years elder to him, but _still_…

Renato had never seen his mother smiling so brightly before.

Renato breathed out lightly.

Really, at this point, he wasn't sure whether to be grateful or ungrateful.

* * *

><p>Renato eyed the four surrounding him, his expression blank. It was a mask, a façade he was exceptionally good at creating. He took light pride in that fact, and it relieved him a great deal—masks prevented others from understanding what he felt.<p>

Still, façade aside, he couldn't help but sneer at the bullies. It wasn't one of the most intelligent actions he had done, testified by the fact how one of them immediately kneed his stomach. Renato gasped, but managed to not scream in pain. There was no blood beading from his skin—something he was thankful for since his mother's questioning and worried gazes bothered Renato—and the strength behind the attrition was nowhere near to what he had to go through sometimes.

It still didn't prevent him from falling on his knees, though.

"Heh, will you look at that?" one of the bullies sneered, "All it takes is _that _to shut you up."

Renato did not reply. He remained curled up into a ball, even though pride was dictating him to lash out, to tell them _fuck off_, but he had learned that responses only instigated bullies.

"Che, he's so pathetic. Leave him be."

There was one last kick to his gut—Renato had to bite his tongue—before they left. _Finally. _Renato uncurled and breathed out, standing up shakily. The clothes he had worn to school were dirty, he noticed, grimacing, and planning to chuck it away wasn't a wise thing to do.

"Guess I have to tell mum I tripped over something. Or something," he sighed, picking up his bag, "This sucks."

He stayed hidden in the alley for a while, making sure that the group of seniors were nowhere nearby. Finally, he walked out of the alley, hissing when every movement brought a wave of pain along with it. He turned around a corner, tripped onto something, and fell face first on the ground.

"Ah, Renato!"

Renato stiffened.

'_You've got to be kidding me! Why now?!'_

Renato extracted himself from the ground slowly, and glanced at Tsuna impassively.

He nodded, "Hey."

And then he noticed the snake and created a distance of six feet in between them, backing away in thin-veiled horror. Tsuna, from his position on the freaking _ground_, stood up slowly, raising an eyebrow. The yellow snake was still being cradled by the man.

"What's wrong?" Tsuna asked, bewildered.

"A snake," Renato sputtered, "You have a snake clinging to you!"

Tsuna tilted his head to one side, "Yeah, I do. So?"

"I don't like snakes!"

"Why? They're harmless."

"They're poisonous!"

"Of course this one is not," he paused, "I think. Anyway, this is Snakey. I picked him up today."

"You _picked _him up? And 'Snakey'? That's so lame."

"Unoriginal, I agree," Tsuna laughed, "But he just started clinging to me."

"…"

"Renato?"

"Don't come near me!" Renato hissed. His rib throbbed, and he reflexively clutched it, "_OW!_"

It was then, it seemed, that Tsuna noticed his battered state. There was this short moment where Tsuna became unnervingly silent, _staring_, and Renato tried his best not to squirm. His eyes weren't _natural_.

"You're bullied," Tsuna stated slowly.

"I am not!" Renato defended.

"Why don't you tell someone?" Tsuna asked calmly.

"I am _not _bullied!" Renato yelled, vaguely glad that there was no one in their vicinity. Tsuna's eyes were still on him, and there was this _look _in his eyes, as if he knew something _about _him, something that _Renato, _himself, was unaware of and it pissed the twelve year old even more. He clenched his fingers and stared right back.

"Renato," Tsuna whispered, his voice oddly soothing.

Renato squirmed in discomfort, staring at his feet. He did not know _why _though—maybe it was because of how the setting sun made the man's eyes appear to be so… vulnerable. In pain.

And that didn't make any sense.

"Don't you _dare _tell mum," Renato said through gritted teeth, feeling his eyes prickling and burning oddly, "Don't _ever _tell her."

"Why?" Tsuna asked softly.

"Because…" Renato swallowed, "Because she has enough to worry about, okay? I don't want to bother her anymore and… just, don't, okay? Please?"

Renato did not look up to see the man's face, and so when Tsuna said, "Fair enough," Renato couldn't tell whether he meant it.

* * *

><p>Renato yawned, blearily opening his eyes and staring at the ceiling above, stretching himself and yawning yet again. He rubbed his eyes, sitting up languidly, planting his feet tiredly on the floor unsteadily. He shuffled to the bathroom, running a weary hand through his hair.<p>

Two days, Renato registered, brushing his teeth and getting ready to take a much needed shower.

Two days since the measly incident between him and Tsuna, and Renato did not need to be particularly intelligent to know that the lack of the man's presence in their lives was bothering Fulvia. Even Renato felt a bit bothered—only because his mother had become a bit withdrawn—by the man's disappearance; that in itself was a testament as to how quickly the man had started affecting them.

Given that his mother had not started asking him awkward questions, Renato concluded that Tsuna had stuck to his words and not told her anything about him being bullied.

'_But,' _Renato mused, turning the shower on, _'that sort of 'bullying' is nothing.'_

He emerged, fresh, from the bathroom twenty minutes later, only to hear voices. Two voices, in fact, and both of them he recognized.

Dashing to living room, Renato cursed under his breath once his eyes fell on a familiar brunette chatting with Fuvia happily.

"Ah, Renato. Good morning!" Fulvia said, smiling brightly, "I've been talking to Tsuna, and he has agreed to be your tutor!"

Renato stared at her. Then at Tsuna. Who was smirking.

"He's going to be my _what?!_"

* * *

><p><strong>Uh, not very proud of this chapter, but I hope you guys enjoyed!<strong>

**I figured that I should probably mention this from before hand- the whole bullying thing is NOT the reason why Renato's the way he is. There is something more, which will be revealed in the later chapters.**

**Please leave a review on your way out because reviews= motivation= faster updates!**

**Thank you!**


End file.
